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Frank Warren denies trying to sign Ben Whittaker as he hits out at Olympic medallist for talking 'nonsense'
Queensberry Promotions boss Frank Warren has rubbished claims from Ben Whittaker that he tried to sign the light heavyweight following his departure from BOXXER.
Whittaker penned terms with Matchroom Boxing earlier this month while making bold claims about his world title credentials. An Olympic silver medallist in 2021, Whittaker’s flashy style - in and out of the ring - has garnered a lot of attention early on in his career.
Warren and Whittaker have entered a back-and-forth in recent weeks, with the promoter claiming no offer was made to the light heavyweight. However, earlier this week Whittaker doubled down, stating that “a lot of people just say stuff for the cameras”.
Now, Warren has raised the stakes further, stating that if Whittaker could prove that an offer had been made, he would donate £50,000 to a charity of the boxer’s choosing.
Warren told Boxing News: “Show us the offer, and if he shows the offer, I’ll donate £50,000 to any charity he chooses. Show me that written offer that he had. He certainly didn’t have anything from me, and he didn’t have anything from my office regarding that.”
Whittaker suggested that the reason he did not sign with Queensberry was because of the opponents they suggested he should fight, saying that he would be “slated” if he faced boxers of their ilk.
Again, Warren disagreed, pointing to Queensberry’s talent at 175lbs. Next weekend Joshua Buatsi takes on Zach Parker, two light heavyweights attached to Queensberry, while Willy Hutchinson, Bradley Rea, Ezra Taylor and Anthony Yarde are all signed to the promotion.
Warren continued: “The fighters he could have fought - look at all the light heavyweights on our roster. What does he think we want him to fight? Fight them. Is it not a bad roster? Look at the light heavyweight show we’ve got next week (Buatsi vs Parker)."
Instead, Warren said he knew what Whittaker was doing and that he wanted no part of it.
He added: “Look at all those light heavyweights. It’s just a nonsense. I’m not going to play this stupid game. I know what he is doing. Let him go. He’s going to have to fight some of our guys. If he wants to be taken seriously, he’s going to have to step up and fight them. It’s there to be done.”
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